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Compare The Disparity Between The Rich And The Poor In A Christmas Carol

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In the novel A Christmas Carol (ACC) Dickens employs a range of techniques to convey how the rich and the poor have a massive disparity between them due to wages, charity and educational differences. Throughout the novel, Dickens has the recurring idea that the rich are responsible for the poor and that the rich should give more to the poor which is why this novel was dedicated to Christmas - the conventional tradition of giving. This is a dramatic text so that it can both entertain but teach its readers the responsibilities of the rich. Dickens the Malthusian economics idea to depict to his readers the massive disparity between the rich and the poor. In Stave 1, Scrooge believes 'if [the poor] would rather die they had better do it and decrease the surplus population'. This …show more content…

For example, The ghost of Christmas presents says 'the boy is ignorant and the girl is wanting... written Doom which is waiting to be erased'. Dickens uses children here to represent how innocent people in poverty are, but without education, they cannot excel in their society. Furthermore, Dickens suggests that this lack of education can lead to a rebellion of the poor against the rich which can lead to war - if the rich doesn't want this to happen, they have to look after the poor both in education and wages. In addition, Scrooge directly disregards his clerk, Bob Cravitt. For example, he says'my clerk with fifteen shillings a week and a wife talking about a merry christmas'. Scrooge explicitly shows that he knows that the wages he pays Bob aren't high enough to provide for his family. However, Bob doesn't quit his job, from this the readers can infer that the wage that scrooge is paying is not an outlier and that this is the ordinary wage for the lower class. This causes more poverty and therefore causes more children like 'Ignorance', 'Want' and Tiny Tim to

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One out of every seven people in America live under the poverty line. Even though the Christmas Carol is fictional novella it still illustrates examples of poverty, its effects and what can be done to stop it. Throughout the Christmas Carol different characters who either live in poverty, or are ignorant of it completely. This is a Scenario is applicable to real life. Many people believe that poverty is the fault or problem of those afflicted by it.

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In "A Christmas Carol," Charles Dickens uses the characters of Ignorance and Want to evoke a sense of empathy and compassion and also educate the audience. These characters symbolize the societal issue of poverty. When Ignorance and Want are revealed to Scrooge by the Ghost of Christmas Present he says, "Have they no refuge or resource?... Are there no prisons? said the Spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words”(Dickens).

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He also visits his Bob Cratchit family at Christmas looking through an impaled window Scrooge can see Bob's crippled son “Tiny Tim” (Whos name is Tim.) who looks rather ill and quite poor! Scrooge asks the ghost that is Tim going to die the spirit replies saying “If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, the child will die.”. This, in my opinion, is implying that unless Scrooge does not change Bob Cratchit's wage to a decent amount then Tiny Tim will in fact die!

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This ghost would then take Scrooge to different families, poor families, and show him money is not required to have a good time. One of the families he and the ghost visit is that of his clerk, Bob Cratchit. There he watches them eat their Christmas feast and talk to each other. “Then Bob proposed: ‘A merry Christmas to us all, my dears. God bless us!’

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In ‘A Christmas Carol’, Dickens presents Ignorance and Want in a metaphorical fashion, depicting them as children. This is done in such a manner as to shock and appall the reader, leading to greater emotional investment. Throughout the extract’s entirety, Ignorance and Want are depicted as children, increasing the atmosphere of pessimism that surrounds them. Dickens describes the manner in which the Ghost of Christmas Present “brought two children” – by describing Ignorance and Want as “children”, Dickens creates the impression of innocence, vulnerability, and weakness.

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Dickens describes the Cratchits as “not a handsome family; they were not well-dressed... but they were happy”. Despite the small dinner, everyone was happy and grateful. Scrooge becomes attached to Tiny Tim, and is told that “the child will die”. Scrooge begs the Ghost to “say he will be spared”, and the Ghost quotes his own words, “if he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population”. This moment is the start of another change.

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A Christmas Carol: Poor and Greediness in Victorian Society In most fictional stories, the main character is happy and adored by others. This does not happen in A Christmas Carol. Scrooge, the main character, is a harsh man who scorns Christmas and is not kind. The ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future arrive to remind him of his rude attitude toward people in general.

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It occurs when the second ghost (Ghost of Christmas Present) takes him to the Cratchit family’s home. Scrooge is watching the family of his clerk, Bob Cratchit and although he sees that the Crachit family doesn’t have much money either, they too have love and happiness. Tiny Tim is their sick little boy and has a particular effect on Scrooge. When he sees the little boy in his crippled state, Scrooge asks the Spirit “if Tiny Tim will live” (Dickens 40) and the spirit responds with “[i]f these shadows remain unaltered by the future,” the Spirit responds, “the child will die” (Dickens 40) “ [n]o, no,” says Scrooge.

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Dickens presents Scrooge as a greedy and stingy character whose love for money increases until he does not see the consequences of his actions. Dickens uses the name “Scrooge” because it describes someone who is selfish and does not like giving or spending. In this extract, Dickens motivation is to highlight how avarice and callous Scrooge is in his argument with his fiancee. This is emphasised when Belle, Scrooge’s fiancee makes Scrooge aware that “another idol has displaced” her in his life.

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You’re poor enough”,this shows that Scrooge didn't celebrate christmas. Not believing in the birth of Christ can put an bad and devilish outview on you. The structure of this novel plays a big part in

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After a while, the Ghost of Christmas Present lifts up his robe. Under it, are two poor and hungry children named Ignorance and Want. When Scrooge sees them he says, “ ‘Have they no refuge or resource?’ ” (Dickens 24). Scrooge is starting to care for others as he says this quote.

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One could describe the character of Scrooge as self-absorbed, inconsiderate, and so cold that “the cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shriveled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice” (Dickens, Stave 1). Scrooge despised Christmas, calling it a “humbug”. Scrooge is asked to give donations to the poor around the holiday and he responds with “are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?” (Dickens, Stave 1) which reflects his capitalistic mindset.

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Scrooge is a character who is pictured as a rich greedy old man that only cares about his well- being rather the other less fortunate that is surrounded by him. Dickens used scrooge as a symbol of the privileged and elegant members of society, who are careless about the misfortune and the poor. Dickens also

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The play, A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, explores the theme of poverty through its portrayal of the heterogeneity

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Regardless, Dickenson expresses his thought of the social changes in this novel of what was happening in that period to what moral person should be. Therefore, there is an obvious treatment in the different social classes. As a result, Christmas Carol is distinguished because in the novel, Scrooge the main character, is a wealthy old man therefore he does not care about anything or anyone. Meanwhile, in the dream of the future, tt saw himself dead yet nobody cared that he died.

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